The contents of Dot Frasier’s office nearly spill through the doorway — brightly-colored bags of goodies for teachers within the Bartow County School system.

Smartly dressed in a festive green suit, Frasier, executive director of the Bartow Education Foundation, motions to an adjacent room for available seating for her current visitors, who follow without argument.

It’s an unspoken rule — one doesn’t say no to Frasier.

“Ms. Dot has a legacy in Bartow County that surpasses anybody I know,” said Janet Queen, first vice president and board member for the foundation.

In her nearly 60-year career as an educator and head of the system’s teacher grant program, Ms. Frasier reflects on the question when asked if she’s ever been told no.

“I don’t believe I have,” she said with a laugh. “That word has just never been in my vocabulary.”

It’s her tenacity to which many have attributed the success of the foundation.

“She is the heart and soul of the Bartow Education Foundation,” Queen said.

The foundation started in 2000 as an expansion of the teacher grant program started by then superintendent and current Bartow County School Board chair Davis Nelson and Frasier said it has been her mission to help supplement the projects of teachers and staff that ultimately benefit students through grants.

“What we do is try to provide teachers with the extra things they need other than the basic necessities in their classrooms,” Frasier said.

Frasier said last year the foundation was able to provide $89,000 in grants to teachers and the goal is to top that with $100,000 this year.

The foundation also sponsors the county’s spelling bee and teacher of the year honorees, Frasier said.

“It’s such a great resource,” Frasier said.

Donations from the community and a special payroll deduction program for school system employees are essential to raising the necessary funds to help “anyone who works with children in the Bartow County School System,” Frasier said.

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides